Representatives of non-governmental and civil society organizations active in the field of trade and development met with UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi yesterday and expressed support for the implementation of the UNCTAD work programme emanating from the mandates of the UNCTAD XIII conference in Doha, Qatar in April of this year.

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) will provide financial support to UNCTAD to help developing countries benefit more from information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Under a project to be funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Economic Cooperation and Integration of Developing Countries (ECIDC) unit of UNCTAD in accordance with its mandate on South-South cooperation, will be undertaking studies, workshops and field missions to identify and promote potential supply chains in sub-Saharan Africa.

Experts from the United Nations regional economic commissions told the Trade and Development Board (TDB) yesterday of issues affecting trade performance in their respective regions, a sector that is growing in importance but faces myriad challenges including those arising from expanding intra-regional trade.

The Ministry of Finance of Indonesia last year requested UNCTAD to provide support in strengthening the country's capacities in debt management against a backdrop of rising central government debt levels -- increasing from USD 120 billion at the beginning of the decade to USD 170 billion at the end of 2009 -- although the debt ratios are still within conventional sustainable limits.

Despite the harsh economic climate, contributions from both donors and beneficiary countries have been received by UNCTAD for its technical cooperation trust funds for the implementation of a variety of projects to meet the needs of people, governments and the private sector in developing countries.

Finished goods are now produced in part in so many different countries that the traditional concepts of ‘imports’ and ‘exports’ are no longer accurate, with major implications for traditional national and regional 'trade policies', the UNCTAD Trade and Development Board was told today.

As part of the 59th session of the Trade and Development Board, member States endorsed UNCTAD’s Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development (IPFSD), noting the crucial roles it plays in the implementation of the Doha Mandate adopted at the UNCTAD XIII ministerial conference in Doha, Qatar in April of this year.